I just wanted to help
by pinazee
Summary: Theres a very dangerous person loose in Santa Barbara and Juliet gets personal with the case when her best friend from Miami is targeted. :D it's also on  psychfic under the same name
1. Chapter 1

Santa Barbara 1987

It was a bright Saturday afternoon and the perfect weather for a game of cowboys. Gus had changed out of his usual pleated pants and into some of shawns old jeans to get dirty ("There is no way i'm rolling around in the dirt with my school pants on Shawn!") along with a cowboy hat and a water gun shawn had given him. Shawn was in the backyard squirting the neighbors cat back under the fence with an enthusiastic gleam in his eye and a panache in his firing skills. He had been walking around the house like John Wayne for the past two hours in order to get the essence that is _the old west. _As Gus joined Shawn in the backyard the two began their escapades as cowboys and began riding horses and robbing trains. After an hour, Shawn decided it was time for a shoot out.

"Hey cowboy Gus! I challenge you... to a drawl!" exclaimed Shawn.

"Its draw, and your on!" said Gus as he turned around from stealing the gold out of a highly advanced bank (according to Gus.) and joined Shawn beneath two trees. They walked up to each other about 1 foot away, turned around, took three steps forward, and turned around to face the other: each with a determined face and excitment oozing out of their fingertips.

"Do you feel lucky...punk?" said Shawn in his best impersenation of Clint Eastwood.

"The better question is...do you?" smirked Gus. Each boy lowered their hands to their water guns and twitched their fingers in anticipation.

"Draw!" yelled Shawn. He grabbed his gun and fired just as Gus was getting ready to fire his. Shawns ammunition went to high however, and hit Gus in his eyes making him drop his gun and stumble backwards into the tree roots and trip.

"Oww!" screamed Gus. He landed on his left elbow which happened to land on a nearby rock.

"Gus! Are you okay?" said Shawn slightly panicked. Thinking his friend wasn't hurt to bad, he continued their game. "Should i go get the local doctor? Perhaps a local Native American witch doctor?" But Gus was still on the ground cradling his now swollen elbow with tears coming out of his eyes.

"Shawn!" shouted Henry. Shawn looked to see his dad striding over to them and had an automatic answer prepared for the upcoming argument. "What happened?" He knelt down, picked up Gus, and carried him into his kitchen.

"Gus did it! I mean it wasn't my fault. Me and Gus were playing cowboys and Gus wasn't fast enough so i killed him,"said Shawn. Gus turned his tear stricken face towards Shawn and glared at him. Shawn just gave him the usual _what-am-i-supposed-to-say _look and turned back to his father who was by the freezer grabbing something Shawn could not see. Henry walked over to the cupboard, grabbed a dry rag, and placed a frozen pea bag on top. He placed the rag on Gus's elbow. Gus let out an exclaimed "ow!" which in 15 minutes turned into a small sigh of relief as the chill worked its magic on his swollen elbow.

" I'm afraid it looks like its sprained Gus. We are going to drop you off at home and let your parents take you to the hospital."said Henry as if he was reading an old statement from a witness. Shawn looked at Gus and knew there was no way his parents would forgive him for this. A few minutes later and the boys were getting into Henrys truck and driving to Gus's house. When they got there, Shawn got out of the truck with Gus, took his free hand and shook it.

"It was nice knowing you." said Shawn in a depressed manner

"It was nice knowing you too," said Gus trying to hold back more tears as Shawn rattled his elbow. "Maybe we can still hang out at school."

"Nah. Your parents will know i go there. You will probably be sent to a boarding school. I hear them talking about it already anyways." said shawn.

"Then how about penpals?" suggested Gus.

"You know i hate writing. Besides, it wouldn't be the same," sighed Shawn.

"Well maybe when we're older we can play cowboys again," said Gus.

"Gus, don't you see? By then you will have all new friends to play with. Ones that your parents approve of and you will forget all about me. I'll be by myself, alone, grieving for my once happy childhood,"dramatized Shawn. Gus looked for a way out again but couldn't think of anything.

"So i guess this is good bye forever," said Gus.

"Good bye Burton Guster," said Shawn in a professional manner.

"Good bye Shawn Spencer," said Gus. The boys reached out and shook their hands. Just then they heard Gus's mom scream for Gus. The boys looked over and saw that his mom was running to them with worry on her face.

"Burton! What happened!" shouted his mom as she leaned down and observed his elbow. Then she noticed Shawn and gave him the steal eyes. "Come on, son lets take you to the hospital," She grabbed gus's good arm and dragged him to their car. Gus looked over his shoulder and gave shawn one last look before he was placed inside the vehicle. Henry had returned to his truck and was waiting for Shawn to finish climbing in. As he was sitting in the passenger seat, he saw Gus's mom start the car and take off down the street. Sighing once more, Shawn leaned his head against the window.

"It was an accident kid. Don't beat yourself up for it. Besides, I explained everything to his parents. You don't need to worry about him being shipped off to boarding school," said Henry. Shawn was about to ask how he knew but Henry put his hand up and answered first. "I heard you talking to gus about it."

"If it was an accident, then why do i still feel so guilty?" asked Shawn.

"Because your a good kid. Gus knows you didn't do it on purpose. Stop beating yourself up. it was not your fault. We do need to work on your aim though. I think we can start that next week," said Henry as he transfered back into his usual subjects: training Shawn to be a cop. Shawn looked at his father with both gratefulness and annoyance as he once again managed to destroy yet another chance at a father son moment.


	2. Sisters and Mustaches

The Present...

Shawn was running for his life. The smoothie stand down the street, which, by the way, had thee BEST pineapple smoothies in the history of France (according to Shawn), was about to shut down and he craved its delicious smoothie vendor (or as Shawn called him, Senor moo-stache), was starting to put his supplies away when Shawn reached his stand and gasped for air.

"One..Whew! one.. pineapple, smoothie," said Shawn as he tried to catch his breath. Senor moo-stache reached beneath his cart and into his freezer and pulled out an already made pineapple smoothie. Shawn looked up and smiled. "What would happen if i said i wanted a mangosity smoothie instead?" The vendor just gave him a blank stare. He reached over grabbed his smoothie and paid. Suddenly Shawn looked up and noticed that the usual milky white mustache upon the vendors face was no longer there. "Hey, you shaved the stache! I must say it really brings out your intimidation. I am now 5% more scared of you. O.K i lied its actually more like 15% but hey whose keeping track?" joked shawn. The vendor just tilted his head.

"No Habla Ingles," voiced the vendor.

"...Yea. But hey, that's what makes you a good listener," said shawn as he waved good bye and headed back to the psych office. The vendor just stared at the strange man as he walked away into the sunset.

About half a pineapple smoothie later, Shawn was back at the psych office and contemplating his next move when Gus walked in.

"Shawn, why weren't you picking up your phone!" yelled Gus the second he saw Shawn chilling behind his desk.

"I had an important client to deal with so i put my phone on vibrate," said Shawn smoothly.

"Yea, uh huh, ok. Did this clients name happen to rythme with the words Tineapple Roothie?" asked Gus, clearly annoyed that he had panicked over Shawn while he was enjoying a delicious treat without him. Which thanks to him, he now craved.

"Well look at you! Acting all psychic!" smiled Shawn.

"Shawn this is important! It's about Juliet!" exclaimed Gus. He walked back out of the office and got in his blueberry and waited for Shawn to join him. 5 seconds later...

"Dude, what about Juliet? Is she o.k?" worried Shawn. (_Hook, line and sinker thought Gus)_ He started the car and took off to the station. "Dude, what happened?" Gus kept his mouth shut wanting to punish Shawn for his lack of phone retrieving until they reached the hospital. "Gus! tell me what happened!" Gus parked the car and turned it off.

"Okay first of all i want you to know Juliet is fine," said Gus. Shawn released the air that he seemed to be holding since he left. "Second of all, i need to know you will be able to restrain yourself. and third of all (gus held up his hand to stop Shawn from speaking) let this be a reminder from now on, you should have your phone on at all times."Gus got out of the car and closed the door as shawn followed his movements.

" Okay on the first note..." said Shawn. He reached over and punched Gus in the arm. ("Ow! hey!"said gus). "On the second note what do you mean restrain myself. Restrain myself from what?" Five minutes later... "New response to the second note. I make no promises." Gus had led Shawn to a hospital room containing Juliet, Lassiter, and a pretty brunette that was sitting on the bed.

"Shawn you are finally here!" said Juliet, standing up."What took you so long?"

"The spirits and i were having an argument on whether or not mangocity was a word," said Shawn. "But clearly this is more important!" He turned around and smiled at the young woman on the bed. She looked down at the floor. Shawn extended his hand out to her. "Shawn Spencer psychic detective." She shook his hand without looking up.

"I'm-" she started saying but Shawn cut her off.

"Wait, let me guess," he said. He put his forefingers to his temple and began following his surroundings in his mind. He saw a chair covered with dirty clothes. A broken necklace with the letter T on it, A tattoo on her right shoulder that looked like a dolphin, and remembered juliets face before they walked in. He opened his eyes and removed his fingers from his temple. He turned around and faced Juliet. "Why didn't you tell me your best friend from Miami was in town? I would have taken us all to the Pineapple Festival last weekend." He turned once more to the girl and took her hands. "I'm sorry you went through this traumatic event. Is it Tasha? Tisha? Taylor?.."

"Its Tammy," she said raising her head to face him. Thats when he noticed the severe bruising around her neck. He closed his eyes and focused.

"Was the man who strangled you repeatedly wearing a ring?" he asked. She looked at him surprised.

"You really are psychic,"replied Tammy. "I was just going to tell them about his college ring." She looked down once more remembering the event and shuddered as she let go of Shawns hand. "I can't tell you the color or anything but it was shaped like one. I remember my dads and how thick and chunky it was." Tears began swelling in her eyes and Juliet paced over and hugged her damaged friend.

Gus, Shawn, and Lassiter walked out of the room and closed the door. "What happened?" asked Shawn as the trio walked down the hallway.

"Look Shawn, if i had my way, you wouldn't be on this case, but Juliet suggested you and the Chief agreed,"said Lassiter with clear aggravation in his voice.

"Lassie, we all know if you had it your way i would be in handcuffs right now. But this isn't Burger king, just tell me what happened."

"Last month we got a note saying he buried a woman alive and if we wanted to save her we had an hour before she ran out of air. He even gave us the directions. We were able to save the her but she had bruises around her neck like she was strangled by many men. Turns out it was one guy. According to the woman he kidnapped, he strangled her until they pass out and then brings them back to life only to do it again. The amount of time varies but it is somewhere between 15 and 18 times over a period of two days. Same thing happened the next week, and the next week. We have no leads and none of the women could piece together a description."

"So basically you need me," teased Shawn.

"No. We don't. What we need is for him to slip up, not a rabid monkey on a sugar high," Lassiter smiled at his own joke as the other two stared at him.

"Well when i solve this case, you are going to have to apologize to all the monkeys you just offended. I just so happen to know a man that lives in a hut by the beach who has a monkey named Fernando. He might even be rabid but i never got close enough to find out." Carlton just sneered at him and got into his car as Gus and Shawn walked to the blueberry parked farther down.

"Gus i'm worried about Juliet. I'm not sure she will be able to handle this after what happened to her best friend."

"Im sure she will be fine. Juliet is strong." As Gus went to the drivers side, shawn noticed a note attached to the windshield. _Yes a parking ticket! _Shawn thought._ This time its gus's fault!_ Shawn pulled the paper off and immediately realized it wasn't a fine.

_-Hi boys! I see you have just been briefed on my case. Say hi to Tammy for me, i am so glad your team was able to find her in time. I would hate to lose her, she was like a sister to me. Speaking of which, my other sister is in need of your assistance. You can find her about six feet beneath Whicamore Street. Can you sense her? I'll be waiting for the results! Don't screw it up or you will kill her. She has about fifty six minutes left of air. fifty five... better hurry! -sincerely Me _


	3. Dirty work

"Spencer, it has been five minutes! There is no way you solved it alread-" yelled Carlton into his cell phone until Shawn cut him off. "I'll be right there." Lassiter reached across the seat and put his flashing light on top of the car and made a sharp grumbled to himself. _Of course he gets the note_ he thought. _Just once i want to be targeted! I could handle it as much as Spencer. Better even! Psycho paths have no taste!_

10 minutes later Carlton saw a group of police cars parked at odd angles around an old church. Behind it, Shawn was running through the cemetery looking for any signs of a disturbance in the dirt. After what seemed like hours, Shawn finally saw what he was looking for.

"Hey! She's over here! Bring your shovels!" yelled Shawn. At the sound of his voice, the police officers who were searching as well, took off towards him with their tools in hand. When they got there, Shawn and Gus were already removing the top layer of dirt. They moved aside so the officers could get to work.

"Spencer!" shouted Lassiter as he paced towards the duo. "How the hell do you know she's here? There are over four miles worth of this road!"

"Lassie, i think we all know the answer to that question,"said Shawn. He and Gus and a few standing officers all looked at Lassie and put their forefingers to their temple. Lassie rolled his eyes.

"What happens if _the spirits _are wrong? We don't know if she is here for sure! If she dies, it is on your head!" With that final note, Lassie walked over to the chief and began arguing about Shawns involvement.

35 minutes later...

_thunk!_ "Hey we reached it!" shouted a rotund police officer. Some of the others flung their shovels on the ground above and began to dig with their hands. Others jumped out of the hole; preparing to help the young woman in need. Shawn and Gus looked at the event taking place right in front of them. The world seemed to stop. Everyone held their breaths as they waited to see if the man had become a murderer. Then, suddenly, a larger officer leaned down and picked up a young woman and laid her on the ground. The paramedics ran to her and immediately began giving her oxygen as they laid her on a stretcher, put her in the ambulance, and drove away.


	4. The return of magic head!

Shawn and Gus were the messiest by far. Both their shirts were covered in dirt and their faces caked with sweat and mud. Lassie was standing next to them in utter annoyance as shawn once again attempted to put some on his face. Chief Vick walked into her office with Juliet right behind her just as Lassie slapped Shawns hand away once more.

"Catch me up Detective," said the Chief. She sat down in her chair and began rubbing her newly found migraine. Lassie was about to speak when Juliet interrupted him.

"Caucasian female. 28. Taken three days ago. Family never reported her missing because she was on vacation," said Juliet. She started to talk again when Lassiter interrupted her.

"Paramedics say she was bruised pretty badly around the neck but her lungs got the worst damage. She'll live though. CSI is going over the crime scene right now. I also talked to the caretaker, but he was at a family gathering all day," Lassie said quickly.

"Mr. Spencer are the spirits giving you anything useful?" asked the Chief.

"Yea just one thing." Shawn put his hand out like a claw and put his other hand to his head. He looked at gus and nodded his head in his direction to get Gus over.

"No, Shawn!" whispered Gus.

"Come on! Just do it." whispered Shawn. He extended his hand out once more.

"i said no!"

Lassiter, the Chief, and Juliet stared at the two as Shawn kept moving his hand and Gus kept swatting it away.

"Mr. Spencer! Today!" exclaimed the Chief. Shawn gave Gus a meaningful look. Gus glared at Shawn but lowered his body anyways. Shawn gave him a quick smile and put his claw-like-hand on top of Gus's head.

"I will now use Gus's magic head to tell the type of location she was held in," announced Shawn. Lassie rolled his eyes. Shawn began to go back in his memory of everything he noticed on her clothing. "I see annnn N! no wait, not an N! Gus come on! Work with me! It's a..., whew! Gus turn down your aura, it's clouding up my vision! A little more. A little more. O.k stop! I see it! It appears to be some kind of room. Hardwood floors, recently waxed. And there's feathers! feathers everywhere! And white bird poop ! Wait! O spirits, give me a name!" Shawn released his hand from Gus's head quickly like he touched something hot. "Gus, you should really work on containing your anger!" He began to shake his hand while blowing on his fingers. Gus just glared at him.

"Spencer, how the hell is that supposed to help?" asked Lassiter.

"Come on Lassie, think. Hardwood floors. That's a residential house. And it's probably near a large amount of birds. Maybe by the beach or a large park," said shawn matter-of-factly.

"That still doesn't get us any closer," said the Chief. "Spencer, i want you to talk to the other victims. See if you can get anything from them. Detective Lassiter, i want you to talk to the CSI's in quickening their search. Tell them to be thorough, and fast. This guy has tortured over six women in the past month. We need him off the streets. Juliet go with Lassiter." The two teams began to walk out of the office when Buzz came rushing in.

"Chief we got a problem," said Buzz.

"Can't it wait?" asked the Chief.

"It's about the case. The first victim was just found. Dead."


	5. Friends don't let friends do drugs

The stained glass window within the kitchen gave the room an eerie glow and burned the yellow walls with patterns of blues and purples. This once calming effect seemed to make the air thicker and heavy; sad even. Almost like the house was grieving over the loss of its owner. The young woman, who just yesterday had had tea with her parents in the dining room and smiled for the first time since the attack, was now slumped over the same table with dried tears on her cheeks and an empty pharmaceutical bottle in her right hand.

The team walked into the room and got straight to work. Shawn and Gus began looking around the room for clues and Lassiter and the Chief had left the room mumbling about procedure. Shawn was grabbing a napkin from the table when he noticed that Juliet was still staring at the body.

"Well, it appears to be suicide," said Buzz, eyes moving to the empty pill bottle. "But autopsy will have to confirm of course." Juliet didn't notice but she let a tear streak down her face as she saw her best friends eyes reflected in the girls in the chair. Shawn sighed and put the half empty wine bottle back on the table. He walked over to Juliet.

"Come on," he mumbled as he put an arm around her waist and guided her down the hall. They made it to the backyard and pretended to be admiring the garden. Shawn let go of her but she stayed where she was and put her hands to her face and found the tears that had come unwanted. She wiped them away but they kept coming back. Silence had fallen between them as she tried to compose herself.

"You good?" asked Shawn after Juliet breathed heavily for the last time and moved away from him.

finally noticing the garden, she took in the fresh scents of lavender and roses, leaned against the white fence, and replied, "Ya. I'm ok." Silence once more befell them, this time more awkward. "It's beautiful isn't it?"

"Very," said Shawn but his eyes had wandered away from the the flowers and rested on her face. Juliet looked at him as he smiled at her. She blushed ever so slightly and smiled back. They spoke with their eyes everything thay had wanted to say to each other.

Shawn eventually broke the connection as he leaned down into the garden and grasped the stem of a white tulip. He stepped over to her and filled the space between them.

"We should probably get back to work," said Shawn. He walked back to the house; trying to contain his fluttering stomach. Juliet watched him go then looked down at the tulip he had placed in her hand with a gossamers touch. She blushed once more as she stroked the petals.

"O' Hara! what are you doing?" shouted the head detective. "This is no time to admire a garden! Get back to work!" Juliet sighed and looked down at the flower once more. Lowering her hand, she dropped the white tulip upon the dew stained grass and walked away; leaving the sweet moment behind her.

Back at the station...

"Autopsy just came in. COD is a drug overdose on Vicodin: prescribed after she was attacked. There were no signs of a struggle so we must assume it was a suicide," reported Chief Vick.

"Bull puckee!" said Lassiter. The chief glared at him. "I mean..that can;t be.. you see..heh heh." Defeated, he cleared his throat and surrendered his thoughts to the air. "Well i think he came back and killed her. He wanted to finish what he started so he put a gun in her face and told her to swallow the pills to make it _look_ like suicide. I think we should contact the other victims and warn them."

The chief put her hand to her forehead to control her patience. "Mr. Spencer, are the spirits telling you anything useful?"

"Only that i should grab a blueberry muffin,"noted Shawn as he saw the cart of pastries glide by. Shawn walked out of the office with a confused Gus right behind him; leaving the Chief and Lassiter to talk about motives. He grabbed two muffins and handed one to Gus.

"Where are you going?" asked Gus, a little annoyed that his friend just got up in an important meeting for a pastry.

"I had a sudden thought Gus. People have more than one sense. They have five, well except me of course who has six, but that is neither here nor there, the point is, (he stopped once they reached the Blueberry and turned to face Gus) the other victims may not have_ seen_ where they were, but that doesn't mean they didn't _hear_." With that, Shawn opened the passenger door and got in. Gus followed suit and started the car.

_NO, NO, NO! She wasn't supposed to die! I saved her just like all the others! She wasn't suppos- _He thought, then he changed from grief to anger._ This was all _his_ fault! he's the one who had put his slimy hands around her throat! He's the one who killed her and if i ever find him, ill kill him!_

The shadowy figure was alone on the beach today. It was cloudy and the waves were rough;keeping what little civilization existed in the area tucked away inside their comfy homes. He sat down on the beach and began sobbing into his arms. Every second was a second he knew she could be here with him. if only he could have saved her. But now, he was undoing what he had done wrong. He was going to save these women from themselves whether they wanted it or not.

30 minutes later, he returned to his small home and locked the door behind him. He made himself a cup of coffee in his _too clean_ kitchen and went down into his basement. At the sound of stifled sobs, he began to twitch his lips into a smile. _Good, she's awake, _he thought. As he got closer to her he could see the tears streaming down her face and landing into her soft brunette hair. She was laying in the middle of the floor, blindfolded with her hands tied behind her back.

"Welcome back," he said. The woman on the floor moved her head to the voice that had been haunting her for two days. Mind now lost, she began pleading with him.

"No more! Please, No more! I'm begging you!" cried the woman. Tears once more grasped her face and slid down to her now swollen neck. At the sound of her voice his pale face went even paler.

Unknown to her, the man had lost his somber face and replaced it with a shadowy glare. He dropped his coffee cup and pounced on her; wrapping his muscular hands around her neck. Immediately she began trying to push him away but he was to strong, and her, too weak. She tried to use her knees but his weight kept them attached to the floor. She lasted a lot longer than the others but the result was the same; death.

"O my gosh, Your killing her! Stop! Get off! Let her breath!" he trembled. He removed his hands from her throat and began performing CPR. "Come on breath! You can't leave me! Not yet!" He pushed on her chest again and again but her lungs never stirred. He applied his lips to hers and breathed down her neck. Tears began swelling in his eyes. He began losing hope on this girl when all of a sudden her eyes opened and she started gasping for air. Soon she was able to breath normally but the sight of the man made her panic and lose consciousness; leaving the imprint of his distorted smile as her last waking memory.


	6. Let the raina fall down

Gus, with Shawn in the passenger seat, pulled into a large creme Victorian and parked in between the large hedge on the left and the Mercedes-Benz on the right. They walked up to a large porch with a swinging bench on the right side where lay a small stack of books. Shawn reached out and knocked on the door. A couple minutes later it swung open and a petite brunette in sweats and a ponytail asked, "Yes?"

"Hi, my name is Frank Poncherello and this is my partner Jon Baker. We work with the SBPD. Can we come in?" said Shawn, quickly inputting his surrounding to his memory stash. The girl looked hesitant as she hid halfway behind the door.

"I'm going to have to see some badges."

"I'm afraid we don't have badges. We aren't cops. I'm a psychic detective that works as a consultant for them. Basically i do all the work with half the paper work," smiled Shawn.

"I'm sorry, i just don't feel comfortable without a confirmation," said the girl as she closed the door. Shawn and Gus looked at each other. Gus put his head down.

"Just do it," said Gus. Shawn reached out and knocked on the door again. The girl came back.

"Look, i'm sorry but i-" began the girl before Shawn interrupted her.

"I'm sensing something. It's not human. It's a monster!" shouted Shawn. The girl looked frightened and hid behind the door more. "No, its not a monster! its...Its...-" but shawn had let out a bark. He began barking in different pitches and pretending to be interrupted; as if he was in a conversation with a dog. then he stopped and looked at the scared eyes peeping around the wooden door. "I'm sorry for your loss. I know how important your dog Skip was to you. He wants you to know that he is sorry he chewed on your heels. They were just to shiny to resist. He also wants you to stop thinking about getting a cat. Get a dog and play catch with him, but this time make sure the ball stays in the backyard." He restarted his conversation with Skip. "One last thing, He's also sorry that he couldn't continue to help you through your pain. It was just his time to go i guess. He loves you Raina."

The girl was hidden behind the door completely now, but Shawn could here the faintest muffled sob behind it. She looked back at Shawn again with tears running down her face. "You really are psychic. come on in." She led Shawn and gus into a floral room with golden linings and many pictures of her mom, dad, and herself hung around the room.

"Raina, we came her searching for help that only you could give us. We are working on your case and we were reading through your file when i felt like there was more you could offer."

Raina shook her head, trying to remove the memories that had just grown in her mind and tried to focus on what he was saying. "i already told the cops everything i know. I don't know how much more help i could be."

"We think we may have found another way you can help us," said Shawn Carefully. He had to word it right if he was going to get anything from her. He could already tell she was going to be difficult to persuade. Raina looked puzzled but flicked her hand in a _go-on _movement. "Well we- i mean I," rephrased Shawn at the look Gus was giving him. "I know you told us everything you remembered. We know you were blindfolded, but i sensed that you could tell us more. Did it smell bad? Did you hear cars? Would you be willing to go blindfolded again and tell us everything else that happened?" Raina face went pale.

"I'm n-n-not sure if i c-could do it. I've been trying to forget everything that happened to me but everytime i close my eyes-" choked Raina. fresh tears glistened in her eyes and dropped like grenade in her lap. "I go back to that place and-and, i just don't think i can help you. I'm sorry Mr. Poncherello." Raina got up to show them to the door but Shawn reached out his hand and gently grabbed her hand.

"Raina, we understand what he did was awful and cruel. We know you went through something no one should have to go through, but thats the thing. He is still out there and he is still attacking innocent women like you. You could help us catch this man! Be brave for those girls he kidnapped. Please, help us catch this sick man so you and all of the other women can live in peace knowing he could never do this again," said Shawn; Conviction in his eyes. Raina looked down at him, slightly disappointed with herseld that she didn't have the courage anymore. She released his hand and sat back down. "Thank you. Gus, give me your tie." Shawn grabbed the green and yellow striped tie and placed it arounf her eyes. She shuddered at his touch but breathed heavily and got through it. "You ok?"

"Yes," said Raina.

"Okay, this is what i need you to do. Go back to the time right before you were taken. Where are you at?"

"I had had a bad week so my friends took me out to relax. It was a ton of fun but i had work the next day so i only drank virgin Pina Coladas. About two in the morning, i was walking back to my car when a guy came up behind me and forced a cloth over my mouth. thats when i passed out."

"Good. Now focus on the moment right before he took you. Was there anything that seemed odd?"

"Not at first. But now that i think about it, there was this fruity odor behind me. And there was a van in the middle of the parking lot with the sliding door open. It said Stu's something. I couldn't read the rest of it."

"Thats great Raina, now i need you to stay focused hear. Go back to the time when you first woke up. Is he there with you?"

"No. I don't hear him.

"Then tell me what you _do_ hear."

"I don't hear anything. Oh wait, theres pattering and squeaks. There are rats in here!" Raina Picked her feet off the ground as if it was covered in rats. "I hear boots walking towards me. I di-didn't realize what it was until he had, until he had-_deep intake of breathe_- until he had grabbed my hair and pulled my head backwards. Now he's...he's" Raina began sobbing some more as she recalled him putting his monstrous hands around her neck. Shawn sat down next to her.

"Come on Raina, focus. Tell me what happened after he left. Raina he's not hurting you. Its just you, me, and Jon. He CAN'T hurt you!" determined Shawn. She began to shake violently like she was ready for him if he ever came back for her. Shawn didn't want to touch her in case she attacked him but he felt like he should do _something!_

"Okay. Okay. Well i had passed out when he left. I was alone. Now i remember. I was alone for a long time."

"Now's the time. Tell me what your surroundings are. Do you hear or smell anything unusual?"

"Well the ground is really cold. It feels like cement. I hear a small hum from some kind of fridge. Oh! I hear birds, seagulls actually! I'm by the ocean. Yes, now i remember. The air smelled salty with a mixture of apricots and cucumbers. I had tried to get up and feel for a door so i could escape but i kept running into shelves full of old jars. No!" Raina began shaking again. She gripped the couch cushions for dear life as her face lost what little color it had left. "Hes-s-s-s back!" Raina now gripped her head to protect it from some unknown force. She started rocking back and forth trying to concentrate on the surroundings now but the memory kept dragging her back. Gus looked at her in complete shock; clearly unaware of what to do. Shawn leaned over and gently grabbed her elbow but as soon as his finger collided with her sweatshirt, she rolled her hand into a fist and punched him right in the face.

" Raina, take off the blindfold! He can't hurt you anymore!" shouted Shawn over Rainas thunderous sobs. Gus ran over and tried to pull her off but she was to determined to let the man who caused her so much pain get what he deserved that she elbowed Gus in the gut. he fell backwards as the wind knocked out of him. Soon Rainas spidery fingers were wrapped around Shawns neck and squeezed with every ounce of energy she had left. Shawn tried to pry her fingers away from him but the thrust in his face had momentarily kept him immobile. He began slipping into unconsciousness when he felt the hands release him. he opened his eyes to find an older man and woman pulling her up the stairs. Gus came over and helped him up.

"You okay?"

"Yea, you?

"Yea. That girl was really strong. Stronger, i would say, then most men." Shawn started wiping the newly found blood from his nose.

"Yes. Yes she was." Gus cleared his throat and the two began looking around the room in embarrassment. The two people who had taken Raina away came into the room. Although only in their early 40's, the couple now looked over 50 after all the stress they had been through with their daughter.

"Ahh, Mr and Mrs. Damscot, thank you for he-"

"What did you do!" yelled Mr. Damscot right in Shawns face.

"Mr. Damscot, please, we were just trying-" defended Gus.

"Do you know what you have done? We had just gotten her to move on and now you have just sent her recovery rate back to zero!" Shouted Mrs. Damscot. "How could you make her go thorugh that? Do you know what she is doing right now? she is crying her eyes out trying to get the memory of that psycho out of her mind! But heres the kicker! She can't because every night she is going to have to relive that experience! Who are you anyways?" Mrs. Damscot had tears running out of her eyes but they were still furious looking with this strangers idiocy.

"My name is Shawn Spencer and this is my associate Mr. Butterworths. We work with the SBPD. All we were trying to do was catch the man that did this to her."

"Well i hope you got what you are looking for because this will never happen again!" yelled Mr. Damscot. "Now get out of my house!" Mr. Damscot pointed his finger in the direction of the front door. Shawn sighed his defeat and followed the fingers trajectory with Gus right behind him.

The Next Day...

"Caucasian, female, 27. Looks like suicide by hanging but that is all circumstancial right now," said Buzz. He looked up at the fragile female dangling from the banister. Shawn sighed. _Raina, what have you done._


	7. Pillow talk

Rainas house...

Somber faces were plastered to the forensics team as they carefully lowered the fragile woman to the body bag waiting for her below. Her once red eyes were closed by the shaking figure that was her mother. Shawn watched as Mr. Damscot approached his wife and embraced her. He continued up the stairs to Rainas bedroom. At first glance, the small quaint room was the usual untidiness that came after its inhabitant is there most of the time; but as Shawn looked around he noticed a few things that seemed off. Expensive jewelery was thrown on the floor along with a handful of cash. The curtains were closed but there was a faint rip at the seem where it hung on a pole. Rainas reading glasses were hiding in the corner.

Shawn was just grateful that he wasn't the one who had caused her to commit suicide; it was now a murder investigation.

_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O

Meanwhile...

Juliet had officially been thrown off the case after much protest. The Chief had heard about her little breakdown at the earlier crime scene and realized she was to close to it. Karen knew Juliet was angry with her but it was for the best and she knew it even though she would never admit it.

Instead, Juliet had been transferred to another case involving four rubber ducks and an assaulted officer. It was a quick case but the paperwork would take hours itself. Around 11:00 P.M, she decided to finish it tomorrow and went home. Tammy was waiting for her inside with a bag of popcorn and a stack of movies. Juliet got into her pajamas and started the popcorn as Tammy put "Brief Encounter" in the DVD player. Tammy walked into the kitchen.

"How was work?"

"Fine. The chief uhh thought it was best if i didn't work on your case." Juliet put her head down. Tammy looked furious.

"What? How could they do that! You are one of the best detectives there! Plus i don't trust anyone else to catch the guy who did this to me!" Tammy pulled down the neck of her sweat shirt to reveal her severly bruised neck. Juliet looked over at her with sorrow.

"Tams, i was kicked off because the first girl attacked committed suicide and all i could see was your eyes in hers, and, and i just broke down. I can't lose my best friend." The microwave beeped it's readiness. Tammy walked over and gave Juliet a hug.

"Jelly i promise you that will never happen. If i have to leave this place, i'm going with a fight." Juliet pulled away.

"Good. Otherwise whose going to text me when Lassiters doing one of his rants?" Juliet smiled. Tammy smiled back and grabbed the popcorn.

After the movie, Juliet had stifled to many yawns to stay up any longer and headed to bed. Tammy had been to frightened to sleep by herself so they shared Juliets king sized bed and pillow talked.

"So, tell me about this Shawn guy. do you like him?" asked Tammy. Juliet blushed.

"Well.. yes. But after the whole movie theater incident i assumed he wasn't into me. Then i heard him talking about me to Gus and my heart leaped when he said he couldn't be happy without me. That's when i kissed him. It felt so right but at the time i was going out with Declan. It just seems like every time one of us is ready to be with the other, someone has something holding them back. We just have really bad timing." Tammy snickered.

"Yea, you do. What i don't get is that the feelings are obviously mutual. Why aren't you guys together now? I mean he know you like him, and you know he likes you."

"Yea but he doesn't know i know that he feels that way about me."

"Jelly, you guys are way to complicated. My suggestion; make it uncomplicated. I also advise that you make the first move. I think you might have confused him when you gave him that kiss."

"I know. I was in the moment." Juliet smiled. Silence was pressing down on them as their eye lids flickered close.

"Juliet," mumbled Tammy.

"hmm,"

"Why me?"

"Why you what?"

"Why was i taken?" Juliet opened her eyes to see Tammy with tears in her eyes. She reached over and placed a comforting hand on her arm. Juliet thought it over but couldn't give her an actual reason.

"I don't know." Tammy was soaking her bedsheets with little wet grenades. "But i promise you, they will find him. Spencers on the case and he hasn't failed us once. It will all be over soon, i promise." Tammy nodded her head.

The nightmares were a lot worse when she was finally free. No figure would ever appear in it but she could feel his clammy hands around her neck. She was haunted by him everywhere even though she never saw his face. He was a ghost that could do anything he wanted and nobody could do stop it.

_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O

The white beach was empty as gray clouds circled the skys above and descended into the ocean. A black hooded man came tramping into the sand with clear anger rushing through his veins. He picked up a large rock and through it as far as he could into the tide. He picked up more and more, and each time through it in an undying passion. He threw until his arms became limp with strain, and sat down, and cried.

_No more. No more! Now three of his sister are dead! _he thought. He put his hands to his temple and rocked back and forth. His tears crashed upon the surface of his sweater. _Why was he killing them? What did she do to deserve death? WHY CAN'T I STOP HIM? This is not fair! I will FIND him and i will STOP if it is the last thing i do! This is for you Luba!_


	8. Of pharmacys and Nicknames

At the Station...

"Hey Shawn!" yelled Juliet. Shawn turned around to see her briskly walking towards him.

"Hey Jules, whatcha need?"

"O i was just wondering, how you were doing"

"I'm sensing that what you really mean is 'Shawn tell me about the case my best friend is on because i'm really worried about her and i want to make sure he gets caught' or maybe you meant 'Your obviously fine, let's go get a pineapple smoothie and split it using one straw'"

"The first one."

"Fine, but i'll have you know, theres a smoothie stand right next to the Psych office with a mean pineapple smoothie. Your taste buds will start doing the The Belinda across your tongue. As far as the case goes, i promise you, i will catch him. Have i ever let you down?"

"No, but like i said, i mean you said, i'm worried about Tammy. Look, umm" Juliet leaned in closer and whispered "If you ever need, you know, back up in any way, just remember i have my cell phone on me at all times."

"Juliet who else would i call? Gus? Please! he runs screaming like a little girl at the slightest sight of blood. Lassie would shoot the guy before i could finish talking to him. You are the one i can count on."

"Thanks." Juliet sighed relief. _Shawns going to catch him. I know it! I hope... _thought Juliet.

"No pro-"

"Spencer! My office! Now!" Yelled the chief. Shawn turned around to see a very frustrated chief walking back into her office where sat an elderly couple. He gave Juliet one last meaningful look and walked away. He knew what was coming but he never expected this.

As soon as he walked into the office, the dad lunged at Shawn and grabbed his collar. What surprised him the most was that he had pulled it down; revealing the bruises Raina had put there.

"Here is proof! My Raina is not a violent person at all unless she feels attacked! Your consultant scared the crap out of her and pushed her to-to," Mr. Damscot sighed. "He made her commit suicide!" He released his hands from Shawns collar and leaned back. "I want him arrested for murder!''

"Mr. Damscot, i know you're angry, and you have every right to be, but i can't arrest him for being strangled. I promise his unorthodox procedure will not go unrecognized however and he will be punished." The chief walked over to him and put a comforting hand on his arm. " I'm sorry about your loss, but it was not a murder." He shrugged her hand off and walked towards his wife, giving her a hug.

"The spirits say you're lying," said shawn. Karen glared at him.

"Now is not the time Mr. Spencer."

"Now is the perfect time actually. While investigating your daughters case, my Psychic senses picked up on a struggle. A plea for help. And even some bribery. Your daughter did not commit suicide. She was indeed, murdered." Mrs. Damscot turned her face into her husbands shoulder while he just gave Shawn a piercing stare.

"Mr. And Mrs. Damscot, could you give us a moment?"

"Certainly," Said Mr. Damscot and they turned to leave. Before exiting though, Mrs. Damscot turned around and locked eyes with Shawn.

"Find the man that did this to her. You owe her that much." Mr. Damscot pulled on her elbow for another hug and left.

"Mr. Spencer you better have some damming evidence for such a claim."

"Well, while i was at the psych office playing hop scotch with Gus, the extreme version of course, i suddenly lost control of my footing and missed the box i was to be jumping in. Gus said i missed but it was clearly a psychic interference. Gus said i was lying and didn't want to admit that i lost but then i told him-"

"Mr. Spencer, the short version please," Said the Chief Impatiently.

"Right. Okay so i looked down to where the spirits had decided to put my foot thats when i saw it. The clue they were trying to lead me to. It was an earring. At first i was confused, no bamboozled, no it was more flustered, yea flustered. Then i remembered, Raina was only wearing one earring and unless there's a new craze going around, i'm pretty sure she would have put both on before she offed herself."

"A missing earring...That's what you're basing this off?"

"Yea, pretty much."

"I'm sorry Mr. Spencer, but i'm going to need more than that to rule out suicide. Is there anything else?"

"Not at the moment."

"Then theres nothing i can do. Now about your mishap. If this wasn't such a high stakes case i wouldn't hesitate to pull you off of it. I don't want to see you or Mr. Guster anywhere near the other victims, got it?"

"Got it Chief."

_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O

Psych office...

Gus was sitting at his desk when Shawn arrived carrying burritos. He handed one to Gus before sitting at his desk and stuffing his face.

"Gus your the medical go-to person, what makes someone have a fruity odor?"

"Fruity odors are usually associated with diabetes. Ketoacidosis? Woodhouse Sakatis disease? She might have gotten it confused with Bitter-Almond Breath if it was mixed with any other odors on him. Oh! Chigarins disease! It's relatively harmless if you stick with your pills but if you don't you won't be able to breathe through your nose and you will develop a rash all over"

"Gus your on fire like an Acapulco Armageddon! What would you use to prescribe it?"

"Sistatamine Glyphonitate" Shawn charged out of his chair and walked briskly to Gus's desk.

"Gus i'm sorry for ever calling your prescription sales a side job even if it is! Come on, let's go see if there are any recent purchases of Sista Glyph-fo-phone-i-tat-eh!"

"It's Sistatamine Glyphonitate and it's not a side job! This is my side job!" Gus glared at Shawn in his usual playfulness and walked out of the office. Shawn smiled at him and followed.

"Gus don't be a bull with ketchup on your nose! We need to hurry. I promised Jules i would catch this guy and i want her shawn-your-amazing-thank-you-so-much-for-helping-me hug soon."

_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O

Pharmacy...

"You know Shawn, you didn't have to smash that poor ladies fruit salad into the floor," said Gus as they entered Blueridge Pharmacy.

"It was completely necessary. That salad was an abomination! It had no pineapple in it what-so-ever! Besides, i had to make the evidence look as big as possible if i was going to get any information about it, you know that."

"May i help you gentleman?" asked the red-headed female with the name tag Daisy attached to her shirt.

"Yes Daisy, My name is Shawn Spencer and this is my partner Mr. Chugchug. We work with the SBPD. We are going to need to see every patient who has ordered Sista-at-it-la-li-mat-"

"Sistamine Glyphonitate." Finished Gus

"Yes that thing" said Shawn.

"Okay hold on. Ummm it looks like we have seven people who have ordered this in the last month. I'll print you off the list." She clicked on her computer and left.

"Mr. Chugchug? That's the best you could come up with?" Shawn opened his mouth to retort but the pharmacist had returned.

"Here you go," She handed over a paper.

"Thank you Daisy. Since we're here Mr. Chugchug, you might as well get your stool softener. I know how much you've needed it." Daisy looked up at Gus amused but quickly looked back down . Gus was blushing but it was hidden beneath his chocolaty exterior. He stared at Shawn half laughing half furious and dragged him out of the store; Shawn grinning from ear to ear.


	9. Creepily Boxed Cans

Gus and Shawn were driving down a street in silence. Shawn was staring at the crossed out names on the list Daisy had given them. Two were female, five were males some between the ages of 26 and 42, and the last two were over 80. Using his deductive reasoning skills embedded into him by his father since he was seven, he had already crossed out the women and the elderly. he tried to think of a way to narrow it down some more but with only a name, number and address, he couldn't single out stopped the car making Shawn come out of his thinking trance and peer around at his surroundings, only to see the Psych logo peering down at him.

"Gus, what are you doing? We need to talk to these people," said Shawn pointing at his list.

"Uhh, i don't think so. There is no way i'm going to talk to a potential psychopath," said Gus emphasizing the Psychopath. "I have to get back to my real job anyways. This case is making me way behind on my rounds. You're on your own." He leaned over and unclicked Shawns seatbelt.

"Fine. I'll remember this next time you ask me for something. I was going to bring you back a pineapple smoothie next time i went but now you can forget about it!" He got out of the car and slammed the door shut. Gus rolled down his window as he was pulling out.

"You owe me that smoothie shawn!I will get it!" He glared at shawn once more before taking off. Shawn was about to get on his motorcycle when he remembered Juliet. She would want to be apart of this. He quickly dialed her number and twenty minutes later, he was giving her direction to the first suspects house.

"How did you narrow it down to three people?" asked Juliet as she turned left again.

"Juliet, you know the answer to that." Shawn put his finger to his temple.

"Right. It still surprises me sometimes."

"It surprises me too. Speaking of surprises, i noticed a slight darkening in your hair color," Shawn smiled. Juliet was about to respond when he said "Oh, this is the place." They pulled up next to a large white house with green shutters. "It's not him. The next guy lives about 16 blocks from here."

"Wait. Why isn't it him?" asked juliet. She had just taken her seatbelt off.

"I can just feel it." Shawn had actually seen multiple toddler toys in the backyard and a horribly decorated living room. He was almost 100% sure that the guy would be too busy taken care of what looked like twins on his own to go around killing women. Juliet looked skeptical but put the car back in drive anyways.

The next place was more promising. A disheveled apartment building filled with what society would call outcasts. They knocked on number 15's apartment door but didn't receive an answer. As they turned to walk away, Shawn peered through a small crack between the curtains and noticed a stack of boxes from a largegrocery outlet called Frafton and Briggs. Juliet had kept walking and Shawn hadn't noticed that she was talking as well. He turned back towards her and caught up.

"So where does the next guy live?" asked Juliet.

"Uhh, i feel like pineapple. Care to join me?" said Shawn as he entered the car trying to give her his most flirtatious smile.

"Shawn, i don't think now is the right time to cure your endless cravings for pineapple," said Juliet. _Don't lose faith in him now Juliet. Not when he's the only one helping you. UGH! Why does he have to act so immature sometimes!_

"Now's the perfect time actually. The spirits are pulling my taste buds in THAT direction!" He pointed out her window. "They say the killer is that way!"

"Killer? Are you saying he's forcing these girls to commit suicide?" She immediately though of Tammy. "And are sure you want to get pineapple right now? Were in the middle of an investigation."

"Yes to both. Hes forcing them to commit suicide and he just so happens to work at a place that sells the best fruit in the world in canned form." Juliet was getting less and less persuaded every time he opened his mouth but his eyes told her he was to determined to let her change his mind. She sighed her defeat and pulled out of the parking lot and turned left.

"So hows Tammy?" asked Shawn.

"Shes doing okay. She still has nightmares though. We had a girls night and thats why i dyed my hair. just for fun. I'm going to change it back once she leaves tomorrow. Is that the place?" she pointed at a Frafton and Briggs building. Shawn put his hand to his temple and nodded. They pulled in and walked into the building.

After talking to a rather grumpy employee they found him in the storage room stacking boxes of canned goods. He was tall with a medium build and light blonde hair above hazy blue eyes. Shawn was about to speak when Juliet interrupted him.

"Mr. Frafton?" He stopped stacking boxes and nodded his head. "Were from the Santa Barbara police department. I'm detective Juliet O'Hara and this is my associate Shawn Spencer. Can we ask you a few questions?" He nodded again. Shawn tried to speak but Juliet interrupted again. "Where were you two nights ago?" The man opened his mouth to speak but paused midway giving Juliet an odd stare before continuing. Shawn stopped trying to speak as he watched the strange man in front of him.

"Home asleep. Why do you need to know? Am i in trouble or something?" He took his eyes off of her and began stacking boxes again.

"Not at the moment. Do you live alone?" He nodded again.

"My mother passed away two months ago." That glare he gave Juliet really crept Shawn out. He began tugging at Juliets elbow only to have her shoo him away.

"I'm sorry for your loss," she said moving away from Shawn. _Whats his problem?_

"Well, that's it for now. Thanks for your time," exasperated Shawn as he pulled Juliet away with him. She freed from his grasp and turned back to Mr. Frafton.

"We will stay in contact. Don't leave the city." She turned around and walked out with Shawn. Once in the car she turned to him. "What was that all about?" She had just about had it with him today.

"I'm almost 80% sure that we just talked to our killer. No, it's more like 90.36% sure. Okay more like 98.56% give or take."

"But we don't have any evidence. We might be able to get a warrant to search his apartment if we can connect him to the case. I just don't see how." Shawn sighed his agreement. If they were going to catch this psycho before he hurt anyone else, they were going to have to keep an eye on this guy. And if the police wouldn't help, then he would just have to do it himself. And by himself, he means himself and Gus.

_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O

Craig Frafton waved goodbye to the detectives leaving in a hurry. There was something about that guy that irked him but he had no time to stop and think about that right now. It was time to set his sister free and help another one. And he knew exactly who should be next.


End file.
